Curse Reply: After choosing Nawa, the cursed spirit cursed me for being cruel.

"Take some with you when you leave if you like." The old woman didn't open her eyes, her voice remaining calm. "More than tasting tea, I'd like to know what your purpose is in coming here."

Duanmu Yan took another sip, then slowly put down his cup. "There's a rather troublesome cursed spirit nearby. I came over to deal with it. I heard that a senior figure in the world of curses lives in this area, so I thought I'd pay him a visit."

The old woman opened her eyes and looked at him directly for the first time.

She naturally sensed the aura of that quasi-special-grade cursed spirit.

He could fight when he was young, but now that he's old and weak, he's no match for him if they really faced off.

She had even prepared for the worst: to leave the place where she had lived most of her life with her granddaughter.

But the young man in front of him looked to be no more than twenty years old. He was dressed in a suit and tie, with his sleeves rolled up casually. He was also relaxed when drinking tea, and there was not a trace of a fierce battle on his body.

Being able to deal with a near-Special Grade Cursed Spirit so easily and alone makes him at least a rising star in the Federation.

However, she didn't believe a single word of the second half of his statement.

Did you come here specifically to visit her? Even the big yellow dog at the village entrance wouldn't believe that.

The sorcerers she knew were either dead or as old as she was; she didn't remember knowing such a young man.

"No need for small talk." She pushed her teacup half an inch to the side. "Just tell me the purpose of your trip."

Duanmu Yan didn't beat around the bush any longer. He took out a folder from his pocket and handed it over with both hands.

"Madam Kugizaki, I am here as an investigator from the Spellcaster's Association. This is our association's policy and the benefits you are entitled to."

The old woman picked up her teacup and took a sip. Her single eye narrowed slightly in the dim room as she scrutinized the young man before her.

Her gaze lingered on his face for a long while before she slowly spoke: "An investigator from the Federation?"

Duanmu Yan pushed the folder in front of her: "Yes, the Federation has been promoting the registration and rights protection of sorcerers nationwide in recent years. Seniors like you who have served in the sorcery world should be on our list and enjoy corresponding benefits."

"Enjoy special treatment?" The old woman's tone carried a hint of sarcasm. "What kind of special treatment could an old man like me possibly enjoy?"

"Basic medical subsidies, retirement pensions, and special compensation for sorcerers injured on duty." Duanmu Yan turned to the corresponding page in the document, his fingertip lightly tapping on the clauses. "Your left eye was injured when you were removing the cursed spirit, wasn't it?"

The old woman was silent for a moment. "That happened so many years ago. There was no federation back then. If you died, you died; if you were crippled, you were crippled. Nobody cared about you."

She put the teacup back on the table. "What are you doing all this for? To win people's hearts, or is there something else you want?"

Chapter 193 Wild Rose Who Wants to Go to Tokyo

The old woman looked up from the documents and stared coldly at Duanmu Yan.

“You’ve come all the way from Tokyo to this rural place, and besides a near-Special Grade Cursed Spirit, you’ve also brought this stack of documents. Young man, stop beating around the bush.”

Duanmu Yan picked up the teacup, took a sip, and then put the cup back on the table.

"You're right. I do have other plans."

Duanmu Yan pulled out a form from the documents and gently pushed it in front of the old woman.

It was a pension application form, already stamped with the federation's official seal.

"Whether you agree or not, the Federation will pay you a monthly pension, the amount of which will be paid according to the standard of a first-level mage, plus a special allowance for work-related injuries."

Grandma Kugizaki didn't look at the form. Her one eye lingered on Duanmu Yan's face for a long time before she slowly spoke, her tone carrying a hint of scrutiny, but more so a sense of understanding.

Having spent decades in the world of sorcery, she had seen it all and quickly discerned what the person before her and the alliance behind him were up to.

"It seems your federation has big ambitions. Sending money, sending documents, and even making a personal trip... It's not for this old man like me, but for those people outside, isn't it?"

Duanmu Yan did not deny it, but his tone was a little softer than before: "I just don't want heroes like you to have nowhere to stay when they get old."

He was telling the truth, but not entirely the truth.

His purpose for this trip was not limited to one thing; besides leaving an impression on Wild Rose, there was another important matter.

It includes sorcerers who have long since left the world of sorcery.

Among these people are veterans who lost contact with the world of sorcery after retirement, and sorcerers who were unwilling to obey the orders of the old men in the Elders' Council, and who had no power to resist and could only leave.

They are not on the official register, but they never do evil or commit crimes. They are not curse masters, and are usually referred to in the industry as unaffiliated sorcerers.

Previously, due to the imperfections of the monitoring system and having important matters to attend to, there was simply no time to find these people.

Now that the barrier is being improved, it's time to fill in this gap.

He needs to set an example and tell all the sorcerers who are still observing: the world of sorcery has changed.

As for Granny Kugizaki, she had the strength of a first-class sorcerer when she was young and already had some reputation in the circle of sorcerers. Moreover, she was strong-willed and never curried favor with the powerful.

Letting her stand up is enough to set an example.

Grandma Kugizaki remained silent for a long time.

Having worked in the world of sorcery for decades, she knew very well that the conditions offered by the other party were not for negotiation, but rather a formal notification.

She had just glanced at the amount on the form: 500,000 per month, a sum that would be hard for an old woman like her to refuse.

She picked up the pen next to the document and signed her name in the signature column.

"The Federation has shown such sincerity that it would be rather unreasonable for an old woman to refuse."

"Thank you for your understanding." Duanmu Yan put the signed documents into his briefcase, then tilted his head slightly, his gaze passing over the old lady's shoulder and landing on the half-open paper door behind her.

"Then... I'd like to talk about your granddaughter."

He withdrew his hand from the teacup, interlaced his fingers on the table, and looked directly at the old woman. "I've come here for your granddaughter... Kugisaki Nobara."

A very faint gasp came from outside the door. Wild Rose, who was eavesdropping by the door, suddenly covered her mouth and stared wide-eyed.

The old woman didn't turn her head, but Duanmu Yan noticed that her fingers gripping the teacup tightened unconsciously.

The room was quiet for a moment, and the old woman's voice became even deeper than before.

"Wild Rose? She's just an ordinary middle school student. Does the Federation even recruit middle school students?"

“She’s not an ordinary junior high school student, you know that better than anyone, don’t you?”

Duanmu Yan said calmly, "She inherited your spell and her talent far surpasses that of ordinary people. Moreover, you have been teaching her, and her current level is equivalent to a level three sorcerer. This is all thanks to you."

The old woman did not speak.

Duanmu Yan pushed the document back to the center of the table, turned to one of the pages, and pointed to a line of text on it.

"The Federation is promoting a nationwide talent training program for sorcerers, providing formal training and assessment channels for students aspiring to become sorcerers. I don't mean to take your granddaughter away; I just want to say that the world of sorcery is different now."

"Different?" The old woman raised her eyes, her tone laced with sarcasm. "So you train my granddaughter to be a sorcerer, and then make her lose an eye? Or even her life?"

"It's so that she doesn't have to face the cursed spirits alone like you did back then, and can't find anyone to support her when she gets injured. The Federation now has a complete mission scheduling system, a real-time cursed power monitoring network, and a dedicated medical support team."

“Whenever a sorcerer goes on a mission, there will be an assistant supervisor waiting on the outside.”

Duanmu Yan explained, “She is very talented, and you have taught her very well, but this village is too small. She needs a bigger place. Whether she wants to become a sorcerer in the future or wants to go to Tokyo, the college will reserve a spot for her.”

A suppressed gasp came from behind the paper door, followed by the sound of someone slipping and stumbling, and finally the sound of someone hitting the wall.

Wild Rose sat on the ground, rubbing the back of her head that had been bumped. When she looked up, she met Duanmu Yan's smiling gaze.

She then realized that she had already given herself away, and awkwardly stuck out her tongue, sitting there looking embarrassed and ashamed, wishing she could disappear into a crack in the wall.

Grandma Kugizaki glanced back at her granddaughter's unseemly behavior and sighed helplessly.

"I'm sorry about that, I don't want Wild Rose to follow the same path as me."

Wild Rose sprang to her feet, shoved open the paper door, and rushed to her grandmother: "Why! I'm already better at fighting than all the boys in my class! I've learned everything you taught me, so why can't I go!"

“It is precisely because I taught her that I understand even better how dangerous this path is.” The old woman’s one eye reddened slightly in the dimly lit room.

"Look at my eye. Back then, no one helped me, no one cleaned up the mess. It's injured, it's injured, it's crippled, it's crippled..."

"That's from your time! Uncle just said that we have auxiliary supervision and medical teams now..."

"Wild Rose, being a sorcerer is a very dangerous job!" the old woman suddenly raised her voice.

"I don't care! I'm going to Tokyo!" Wild Rose shouted, clenching her fists. The grandmother and granddaughter were separated by a low table, neither willing to back down.

Duanmu Yan picked up the now-cold tea and took a sip. Only after the two of them had stopped catching their breath did he put down the cup and speak calmly:

"Actually, you two don't need to be so anxious. The enrollment age for vocational colleges is fifteen, and little sister Wild Rose is only thirteen years old... There are still two whole years to go."

Chapter 194 Outrageous! Others participated in the ceremony!

After the conversation ended, Duanmu Yan did not leave immediately.

He slowly walked along the ridge to the village entrance, leaned against an old camphor tree, and looked at the rice paddies in the distance that were rustling in the wind.

The midsummer afternoon sun was intense, but the shade provided by the trees made it not too unbearable.

"Nature...is truly incomparably beautiful,"

Wild Rose, having failed to reach an agreement with her grandmother, wandered aimlessly around the village and soon found him.

She came running over in her slippers, not at all shy, and plopped down on a tree root next to her.

"Uncle, what are you still doing here?"

“Look at the scenery. You can’t see such a large expanse of rice paddies in Tokyo,” Duanmu Yan replied casually.

Wild Rose followed his gaze to the rice paddy. She was very familiar with this scenery and couldn't see anything interesting about it.

"Is Tokyo full of skyscrapers, bustling traffic, and everyone living a happy and carefree life?" she asked, hugging her knees and tilting her head, her eyes filled with undisguised longing.

Duanmu Yan withdrew his gaze and looked at her profile. "Tokyo is indeed very developed, with towering buildings and never a shortage of people on the streets. But to say that everyone is happy and joyful... that would be a misconception."

He paused, then changed the subject, "You should be able to see the cursed spirits, right?"

Wild Rose nodded, her tone tinged with pride: "Sure. A few days ago I even killed one with a stool from home. It looked like a shell-less snail, lying on the wall next door, and I just smashed it flat."

“In big cities like Tokyo, the number of cursed spirits is the largest. People there tend to live more repressed lives, and their negative emotions accumulate much more heavily than in the countryside. Ultimately, only a minority can be truly happy.”

Wild Rose rested her chin on her knees, her brows furrowed. "But isn't it a very bustling place over there? There are so many fun places and so much delicious food. How could I not be happy?"

"Most of them are working people who are overwhelmed by the pace of life. They squeeze onto trams every day, work overtime until late at night, and sit in front of computer screens for more than ten hours."

"Among these people, I wonder how many of them think every night before going to sleep: Once I've saved enough money, I'll move to the countryside and live a life like yours."

Duanmu Yan turned his gaze back to the rice paddy rustling in the wind. "It's like the old saying goes, city dwellers want to go to the countryside, and country dwellers want to go to the city."

Wild Rose was a little confused by these words. She looked down and plucked several foxtail grasses at her feet, then shook her head and said, "I really don't understand. People in Tokyo want to go to Tokyo so much, but people in Tokyo want to come here. So where is the better place?"

Duanmu Yan reached out and patted her head, gently pressing his palm against the top of her head. "You'll understand when you grow up. But longing for big cities is a good thing for you. At least you have a goal, and when you have a goal, the road ahead becomes much easier."